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 Open-  source 

software

Is developed 

collaboratively, 

independent of a vendor, 

by a community of 

software developers and 

users.

Table 3.5

Three advantages and three disadvantages of  open-  source software

Advantages  of   open-  source  software

 Counter-  argument

1 

Effectively free to purchase

Cost of migration from existing systems may be high and will 

include costs of disruption and staff training

2 

Lower cost of maintenance since upgrades are free There is not a specific  counter-  argument for this, but see the 

disadvantages below

3 

Increased flexibility

Organisations with the resources can tailor the code. Frequent 

patches occur through collaborative development